Author, Blogger, Pastor's Wife

A Book Challenge…

Recently, I received this list from my sister. The average American, the message said, has only read through SIX of these one hundred books. That’s a complete read-through, cover to cover, but still… SIX?!

I couldn’t hardly believe that, so I started counting them for myself. The ones I’ve read are in italics…

Twenty-one! Out of one hundred. Not six but certainly not many. My sister CLAIMS to have read thirty-six, which means she’s more well read than I am. And I just can’t have that, y’all. (I kid! She’s four years older than me, so surely that accounts for the other fifteen books, right? Right?!)

While you probably find it outrageous that I’ve never read Little Women (gasp!) or Anne of Green Gables (GASP!), you probably find it stranger that I’ve actually read The Complete Works of Shakespeare. (University of Houston, junior year, for a class called “The Complete Works of Shakespeare.” Fitting.) While I loved some of these books (Rebecca, Jane Eyre, A Tale of Two Cities), despised others (Anna Karenina, Moby Dick), and think I might have read some but honestly can’t remember what they’re about (Possession, Ulysses), I have to admit that it’s a good list. And an even BETTER list because most of these books are so old that they’re public domain and are FREE in Kindle edition. Oh, yeah.

This new year, I had planned on doing a book challenge that was popular on a lot of other book blogs — 52 books in a year. As of January 29th, I’ve already read 21. (Not the 21 listed above, though that would be something, huh?) I think I need to step it up a notch and read something a bit more challenging or just plain longer. So, I’m using this list and reading all I can for free on Kindle, then seeing what the library has once I’ve conquered that. And seeing as how I just loaded War and Peace onto the Kindle, I’d say it’ll be a long while before that happens.

What do you think about this list? What books would you add or take off? Any of you up for this book challenge? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

27!! More than half. Woohoo!!! And you have to read the Anne series with your girls. Love them! Also, I don't think it's fair to count the whole Harry Potter series as one. So that makes my total 33. Yes!

You'd remember Ulysses if you read it…unless you blocked it from memory, which would be quite understandable. I had to skim it for research while reading a play in which James Joyce is a character. Skimming it was enough for me.

I think the following link is where the list originated, but I don't know where the reference to people only having read six came from. Every time I see the list, it's slightly different.http://www.bbc.co.uk/arts/bigread/top100.shtml